Tag Archives: Fighter Pilot

How do I become a fighter pilot through OTS?

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Apply for OTS when you have your degree or it is essentially assured (i.e., the summer before your senior year of college). You will be required to take the Air Force Officer Qualification Test (AFOQT) and the Basic Aptitude Test (BAT). A complete medical will follow. On the application there is a “yes/no” box next to a question that asks “if accepted for other than a pilot training slot, will you accept a commission?” If you really only want to be a pilot, then you should check “no.”

You will also need to get recommendations from at least 5 people not related to you that can attest to your character and desire to be in the military. You will be asked to appear in front of an interview board of officers. Good grades and desire/experience in aviation may work to your advantage. One applicant got his answer about a week after the interview. He was accepted for an OTS class date a month after graduation with a guaranteed pilot training slot–solong as he graduated on time.

Should I go to the Air Force or Naval Academy?

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The choice of schooling is truly a personal one. Both of the academies have good academic reputations. The “other” issues of the life of a cadet / midshipman (military, physical, etc.) can be daunting.  That said, it is likely that you will increase your chances of getting a pilot slot if you attend the Academy, but it is by no means guaranteed. Over the past several years, the number of Air Force Academy pilot slots has been equal to or greater than the number of physically qualified cadets who wanted to become pilots. Most years there have been more slots to fill than cadets willing to fill them.

Statistically speaking, you have a better chance of flying in the Air Force, given that there are more aircraft in the Air Force and thus more opportunities to fly. Still, that does not guarantee that you will become a fighter pilot.

Ultimately, the choice of higher education should be based on more than just your ability to get a pilot slot. If you are indifferent as to your college choice, the service academies may present more opportunities. If you dislike the idea of the military academies or you are leaning towards a particular civilian school, it is probably better for you to attend the school you would enjoy rather than “suffer” through years at the academy for the remote possibility it will give you a better chance at flying.

What are the medical qualifications to become a fighter pilot?

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The precise pilot medical qualifications vary slightly depending on the situation. As a general rule, if you have no medical defects and are of average body height and weight, you’ll probably be pilot qualified (PQ). There are very tall and very short pilots, as well as very skinny and quite rotund fighter pilots.

Vision requirements for Air Force pilots are currently listed on the Air Force website as:

  • Normal color vision
  • Distant visual acuity to be not more than 20/70 each eye correctable to 20/20
  • Meet refraction, accommodation and astigmatism requirements
  • Corrective eye surgery could be a disqualifier

Note that final bullet — getting your own personal eye surgery may not be a good idea.

Some disqualifications can be waived, like poor vision, some color blindness, and minor health issues. However, waivers are granted for the convenience of the military, not because someone’s life long dream is to be a fighter pilot.  What that generally means is waivers are granted more frequently when there is a greater need for pilots, and less frequently when the military has more pilots.

How do I become a fighter pilot?

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There are reasonably good answers to this question on both the Air Force and Navy websites, including basic qualifications. The short version is:

  1. Become an officer in the Air Force or Navy/Marines.
  2. Apply and get accepted into pilot training.
  3. Compete for a fighter pilot slot.
  4. Complete the fighter portion of training.

There are no fighter pilots in the Army or Coast Guard. Marine Corps pilots wear Navy wings.

The Air Force and Navy have similar means by which you can become a fighter pilot. In general, you must first become an officer, either by attending one of the service academies, completing ROTC, or graduating from Officer Training/Candidate School (OTS/OCS). In most cases, just prior to your commissioning you will be able to request what your desired job will be. If you select and receive the opportunity to become a pilot, you will then have to attend Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT).

You may get a “pilot slot,” but, in most cases, you will not know whether you will fly helicopters, heavies, or fighters until well into pilot training in both the Navy and Air Force (except in rare circumstances, or if you are a Guard/Reserve pilot).

(The Navy doesn’t technically fly “heavies,” per se, like the KC-135, though it does fly several large, non-fighter aircraft including C-130s (Marines), E-6s, and a variety of other patrol and cargo aircraft.)

Prior to UPT, you may have to attend a flight screening program.  The Air Force currently conducts Initial Flight Screening (IFS) at Pueblo, Colorado.

In the Air Force, you will have to complete the first 3-4 months of pilot training before your class is split into those who will fly fighters, heavies, and helicopters. Your ability to get the fighter track (T-38s) will depend on your relative class ranking, your instructors’ input, the needs of the Air Force (how many of each type of pilot they need), and the desires of your classmates. For example, if the Air Force needs more C-130 pilots than F-15 pilots, your class might get 2 fighter slots and 10 heavy slots. On the other hand, you could be ranked #10 in your class, but if the 9 guys in front of you want to fly heavies, then you’ll get the chance to fly a fighter.

If you do choose and receive the fighter track, near the completion of the T-38 course you will be given the opportunity to rank-order the fighters you would like to fly. The jet that you get will depend on your class rank, the input of your instructors, the needs of the Air Force, and the desires of your classmates (See a pattern?). For example, the Air Force may need 8 F-16 pilots but no F-15 pilots, meaning you won’t be able to get an F-15 even if its your first choice. It is also worth noting that the Air Force has alternately put bombers into/out of the T-38 track, meaning that you could complete T-38s and end up flying a B-52. The location of bombers (fighter vs. heavy track) has oscillated over the years. At one point, even UAVs were assigned out of the T-38 track.

After you graduate pilot training you will need to complete your survival training and pass the centrifuge. Your next course will be IFF, which is taught in T-38s.  After you graduate IFF, you will then go through the basic course (B-Course) for your fighter.

Once you complete the B-course, you will transfer to an operational unit. Depending on what jet you go to, you will then go through another 2 to 6 month upgrade. At the completion of that upgrade you will be a “Mission Ready” (MR) wingman, able to fly on the wing of a more experienced pilot into combat.

On average, in the Air Force it takes 2 years from the start of pilot training to being a “true” fighter pilot.

In the Navy, you attend Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Pensacola, Florida, followed by a six week “Air Indoctrination” course. Primary flight training follows (6 months at Whiting or Corpus Christi), and the split track occurs after initial flight training. Intermediate flight training builds on navigation, and advanced training is mission specific. Wings are awarded after advanced training. Pilots then go to Fleet Replacement Squadrons (FRS) to learn their specific aircraft.

For questions regarding Ed Rush’s Fighter Pilot Power Pack (an aid to becoming a fighter pilot), see this commentary.

Will I get passed over or not get the job I deserve because I’m a Christian?

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Undoubtedly in your career you may think so. At some point every pilot, Air Force, or military officer thinks they’re getting the short end of the stick unjustly. Because the Christian fighter pilot isn’t “the same” as everyone else, he just has one more thing to cause him to feel maligned. The question is what should be done about it. For some insight, see the “God is in Control” section of the article on God’s Will.

Should a Christian fighter pilot try to avoid a remote tour?

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To understand the basics of a remote tour, see the Remote Tour section of this article.

The Air Force has a legitimate right to assign its members where it requires. Members of a career field that have a remote requirement must accept the responsibilities of their field. While there are many negatives to a remote tour (as listed in the referenced article), Christians must use caution when it comes to “avoiding” them. Actively attempting to avoid a remote tour could be perceived as shirking duties; a Christian who hasn’t done the “bad deal” may also be negatively perceived by those that have. That said, a Christian with a particular family situation or a weakness that would be negatively impacted by such a tour may want to seek other assignments besides a remote.

The fact remains, though, that at some point that person may be faced with the choice to go remote, separate, or cross-train. Those who have a service commitment and cannot separate will have no choice but to go remote. There are exceptions which are granted for humanitarian or other reasons, but a Christian should seek them only if they are legitimately required, and not because the tour will be “hard.”

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